White Clouds
The New Nest
"Wait… Are you for real?"
"Gee, I didn't know someone would actually move…"
"You're really moving?"
Lysithea nodded as she stood before her now former classmates from the Golden Deer, such news wasn't easy for her to break after she finally accepted Professor Byleth's offer yesterday, an offer that was given to her a week ago.
The memory of the professor smiling warmly at her with joy was still vivid in Lysithea's mind, it was perhaps the most emotion Lysithea has seen from the professor who was infamous for his emotionless cold look, the smile he had yesterday contrasted such reputation.
Hilda, Raphael and Leonie were the first to react on the news after Lysithea requested her classmates to come early to the classroom before breakfast was served at the dining hall.
Claude had been listening intently as Lysithea broke the news a while ago, unknown to most, his carefree smirk wasn't present as if he wasn't in anyway amused at the turn of events despite his teasing of Lysithea on many occasions on being a "Golden Eagle", a student of the Golden Deer that is temporarily a member of the Black Eagles in their missions.
"I figured it would be proper to tell all of you my decision." Lysithea said with a bittersweet smile, despite feeling the excitement of transferring to what is in her opinion, a better learning environment. She cannot help but feel bad that she would have to be distanced away from the people who she had grown accustomed to in her daily life since the beginning of the academy.
Lorenz also looks bemused at the situation, looking at Lysithea with disapproval.
"How tactless, I expected better from a scion of House Ordelia." Lorenz huffed. "Rather than raise the prestige of our house, you would instead choose to join another house with seemingly higher prestige than ours. Have you forgotten the history between your house and the-"
Claude extended his right arm in front of Lorenz, gesturing him to stop and gave the Gloucester heir a glare that the members of the Golden Deer saw for the first time, Claude's green eyes pierced right through Lorenz' indigo eyes as if Claude's eyes were telling him to shut up.
Even Lysithea froze at Claude's display, she was ready to express her personal brand of retort against Lorenz for even having the gall to nearly mentioned her family's past, a subject she does not like to talk about with anyone but Claude's silent glare to Lorenz seemed to have more impact than any words from her towards Lorenz.
While facing Lysithea, Claude's glare shifted into his usual carefree smile. Placing his right hand on his waist, acting as if nothing happened.
"Well well… it looks like my assumption was right… he was indeed trying to poach you away from us." Claude said with a chuckle as the other members of the Golden Deer looked on, still trying to decipher Claude's glare earlier.
Lysithea managed to compose herself, glaring at Claude for his remark.
"Claude, I wouldn't put it that way but he managed to convince not just with words but also his actions. I'm fairly confident I will learn more under him."
The Riegan heir faked a hurt reaction. "Ouch, so our class is basically inadequate for you? You hurt my feelings, Lysithea! I thought I was doing a great job leading our house to glory!"
Lysithea crossed her arms under her chest. "It's not like that- oh forget it." Lysithea huffed in annoyance, giving up on dealing with Claude and his antics, if transferring to the Black Eagles would lessen one of her causes of irritation in the form of Claude then she'll have no regrets.
"M-Maybe it was the Goddess' will... f-for her to t-transfer..." Marianne meekly said, speaking something for the first time in the morning, her hands clasped together on her chest in the semblance of a prayer.
Lysithea sighed at the blue haired girl. "Marianne, please stop attributing everything to a deity." she said in exasperation, there goes another case of blind faith and devotion to a deity that Lysithea thinks abandons her most faithful in their time of need.
Ignatz fixed his glass, pushing the frame up to the bridge of his nose. "W-Well... regardless Lysithea, I wish you the best on your endeavors in the Black Eagles..." He said with a smile.
Lysithea's expression softened, despite her opinion on Ignatz being too soft for his own good, she still felt gratitude for her former classmate in his assistance of her studies in economics.
"Would it still be alright if I... still ask you for help in economics, Ignatz?" She asked, unsure if Ignatz would extend the same courtesy now that they won't be in the same class anymore.
"Of course. I'm always happy to help." Ignatz nodded. "We're still all friends… right?" He asked while looking at each member of the Golden Deer, most of them nodded with the exception of Lorenz, Lysithea smiled as a result of such affirmation from her former classmates.
With a last bow of gratitude to her now former classmates, Lysithea said her farewells to them before leaving the classroom that has been part of her daily routine for months now, as soon as she got out, she went straight to the classroom on the opposite side of the Golden Deer's, not wanting to be late on her official first day with her new classmates and professor.
Lysithea wondered why the door to the classroom of the Black Eagles was closed when she reached it compared to the classrooms of the Golden Deer and the Blue Lions, they were always opened by the staff of Garreg Mach first thing in the morning before the students and professors stepped foot outside of their rooms.
She wondered but nonetheless had one of her hands on one of the doorknobs to turn and open it, much to her surprise it wasn't locked as she expected it, hearing a click from within the door's inner mechanism.
Shaking her head, thinking the staff must have forgotten to open it or was dragged off to another kind of duty, Lysithea fully opened the classroom doors in order to familiarize herself with her new classroom only to be surprised to see all prominent members of the Black Eagles inside, most of them wearing a welcoming smile (except for Linhardt and Hubert) upon their faces.
"W-What's this…?" Lysithea stuttered out, surprised at how the Black Eagles were formally standing in front of the professor's table in an orderly fashion with Edelgard at the middle.
"Everyone, we are here to formally induct Lysithea von Ordelia as a member of our esteemed house, the Black Eagles." Edelgard began in a formal tone before smiling towards Lysithea. "Welcome." she said.
Lysithea was taken aback by the gracious welcome by her new classmates, she hadn't expected such a thing in her first day. She only planned to go to her new classroom in order to select what seat she would be occupying and familiarize herself but to be met with a scene such as this… she felt… special.
"R-Really Edelgard, I've been with you all in the past missions... Surely I've been acquainted enough?" Lysithea said, overwhelmed at the gesture from them.
Edelgard shook her head in response.
"Hush now Lysithea, we want to make you feel truly welcome as one of us on this day but…" She then moved to her side, an act that was mirrored by the other members to reveal food on the professor's table. "A welcoming party isn't complete without food though... right?"
Lysithea caught a glimpse of what was on the table but she couldn't quite point out which is which due to the distance and how Edelgard's red cape was obscuring the view.
"I am pretty confident that Lysithea would be a splendid addition to our ranks in the Black Eagles!" Ferdinand said, pumping his fist up.
"Hey, she saved my life, Ferdinand and the professor so she doesn't need to show proof to me." Caspar shrugged with a toothy grin.
Lysithea looked at each of the members of the Black Eagles, all of which will be her classmates on this day. Dorothea gave her playful wink, Petra looked at her with an eager smile, Bernadetta meekly nodded, Linhardt simply stared at her with discerning eyes while Hubert only closed his eyes.
Edelgard then stepped forward, extending her right hand out for Lysithea.
"Reach for my hand and it will mark your the first time you shall soar away like a true Black Eagle."
Lysithea giggled at the silliness of Edelgard's metaphor before extending her own right hand to hold Edelgard's gloved one. As Lysithea moved forward, Edelgard gently pulled her before placing her left hand over Lysithea's right hand.
"Welcome, Lysithea von Ordelia, to the Black Eagles."
"Thank you." Lysithea gave Edelgard a gracious smile before slightly bowing her head in thanks. She suddenly giggled until it turned into a small bout of laughter. Edelgard raised an eyebrow in response.
It took a few seconds for Lysithea to compose herself. "Really Edelgard… this welcome is too much already but I'm sorry I just couldn't help but feel amused on how you said that."
"Said what?"
"The 'reach for my hand and I'll soar away' part?" Lysithea said as Edelgard's face flushed red.
"W-Was it really that bad…?" Edelgard reluctantly asked, feeling embarrassed at the fact that one of the more serious people she knows in Garreg Mach would even laugh at what she said. It spoke volumes on how bad she delivered such a self-made metaphor.
With the exception of Hubert, most members of the Black Eagles had varying reactions from chuckle to full blown laughter (in Caspar's part) much to the bemusement of their house leader.
Dorothea covered her mouth and giggled. "Well Edie… It does sound like a good line for a song... " She then put a finger on her chin to ponder a little. "You know what? Let me write that down in my notepad for potential songs besides Hail Edelgard."
"Wait what?"
Dorothea merely giggled as she wrote it down her notebook, pocketing it back again and placing back the quill on the table she got it from.
"Now that she's finally inducted! Let's eat!" Caspar loudly said while touching his stomach. "I'm famished!"
Edelgard nodded before letting go of Lysithea's hands, beckoning the Ordelia heiress to follow her to the professor's table where the food they had prepared were lain out for them to feast on with plates and utensils at the surface of the table on the side as well as cups and a pitcher of water.
Lysithea's eyes widened at the amount of delectable sweets readily available for her but nonetheless restrained herself as she was not foolish enough to subsist on sweets for breakfast. Instead, she took a haunch of the roasted pheasant with reduced berry sauce on the side as well as some rabbit skewers. It was as if Edelgard knew the non-dessert food she like.
As the Black Eagles ate and converse, specifically Lysithea and Edelgard, the two doors to their classroom opened, halting the minor festivity in the classroom and all inhabitants to look at the figure behind the door.
Byleth regarded everyone in the classroom and their activity with his emotionless blue eyes before speaking. "What is this?" he questioned his students.
"Ah Professor! You have finally arrived!" Ferdinand exclaimed in excitement at the arrival of their house professor, Byleth approached his students closer while holding on to his books and documents that the students easily surmised were the attendance sheet as well as records, lesson plans and textbooks.
Edelgard stood up from her table and shared a seat with Lysithea.
"We were expecting your arrival, professor."
Byleth's expression remained and his eyes glued on Edelgard's lavender eyes.
"I can see that but none of you has answered my question." Byleth adamantly pressed on with his inquiry, Lysithea nervously looked at Edelgard and her other classmates, expecting them to be on edge on the professor's stern voice but much to her surprise, they were all smiles.
"We were just commemorating the induction and first day of our first transferee, professor." Edelgard gestured towards Lysithea who briefly locked eyes with Byleth before the latter looked back at Edelgard.
Byleth was silent for before closing his eyes and nodding.
"I was supposed to announce something but I suppose it can wait." Byleth said before placing his books and documents on an unused table before heading to his table where the food is served.
"Eh, you can always say it while eating, professor." Caspar casually said while chewing on his meal, sitting on the table surface while Linhardt was sitting on one of its chairs.
Ferdinand heaved a sigh to his classmate. "Caspar, it is unbecoming of a noble to eat in such an improper manner. Perhaps I can assist you in that endeavor?"
"And risk getting my food cold while you blabber on? No thanks." Caspar refused, earning an indignant look from Ferdinand.
After Byleth took his own share of the food, he ate it while standing up just like Hubert and Petra did. As the minor festivity occured in the classroom, Byleth quickly finished his meal faster than Caspar did.
Lysithea, Edelgard and Dorothea were already eating their dessert as they conversed until Byleth approached Lysithea with a few pieces of paper in one of his hands.
"Lysithea." Byleth called out the Ordelia heiress who promptly stood up after she was called.
Before she could speak, Byleth handed her one of the pieces of paper he was holding. "I have sorted out your new schedule to be conducted effective immediately starting today. While it only possesses some changes in your old schedule during your time in the Golden Deer, it is advisable you follow that schedule starting today in order to coincide with much of your new peers' schedules."
Lysithea skimmed through her new schedule and true to what the professor said, there were only a handful of changes some of which involved attending more classes with the professor in charge as well as some fields that weren't available for her back in her previous class when Hanneman was in charge.
"If you have questions and suggestions, I will be available to talk to later. For now, there's something I must say." Byleth said with a stoic and professional tone before turning his back on Lysithea.
As Lysithea looked down on her new schedule, she felt some degree of disappointment. Not towards her schedule but to how the professor was acting, while she understood that he was all business and focused more on what his job demands of him, she felt disappointed that despite the celebration her new classmates have prepared for her, he didn't even acknowledge it. It also made her feel petty for expecting such a thing.
"And Lysithea." Byleth paused in his tracks, his back still facing her.
She looked up to him with raised eyebrows but also having traces of disappointment.
"Yes?" She asked, almost devoid of any enthusiasm that she felt earlier when Edelgard and the Black Eagles warmly welcomed her.
Byleth slightly tilted his head on the side, exposing a side of his face.
"Welcome to the Black Eagles." He said but it wasn't his words that made Lysithea's heart skip a beat, it was the small but genuinely warm smile that graced the corner of his lips.
Lysithea briefly blushed and nodded in gratitude towards him. "I… thank you." She said as the majority of the Black Eagles smiled.
Byleth then went behind his table to proceed with his announcement as the Black Eagles ceased eating or conversing to listen to their professor.
"I have found a new lead pertaining to Flayn's disappearance."
Class resumed like normal afterwards and while Lysithea and her new classmates were advised by their professor to always keep a constant vigil on who they talk to or what they see, he urged them to never forget their academic obligations and continue on improving for their own sake.
Considering the gravity of the situation of the disappearances of various people in the monastery, classes in this month were more lengthy than usual in order to keep the majority of the students confined in their classrooms and avoid any possible abduction.
Shifts of the knights were also doubled to increase security of the monastery at nighttime and visitors were often checked including merchants. Suffice to say, paranoia has begun to take its hold among the inhabitants of Garreg Mach.
Just a day later, Lysithea came to Cyril's defense when he was harassed by several students as well as knights. What pained Lysithea was that some of those who harassed the Almyran boy were her lesser known classmates in the Golden Deer. What they said afterwards pained her more as they called her a turncoat for transferring to a house that was favored by the archbishop, accusing and assuming that she will probably turn her back on her home if war ever came to be.
Much to her surprise, Claude came to their defense, subtly threatening them of various fates and making sure 'they won't be missed' if he had his way with them which proved enough for them to cower but not before telling Claude to keep watch of any foreign scum such as Cyril and Shamir.
It was at that time that Lysithea became concerned for one of her classmates in the Black Eagles, Petra. It was no secret that she is from Brigid and the princess of a nation that tried to invade the Adrestian Empire at some point, people began thinking she and her 'hidden agents' were behind the kidnappings and that Petra was merely biding her time to exact revenge for her slain father by plotting against Edelgard.
A claim that Edelgard has vehemently objected to, considering Petra a valuable ally and comrade who has proven her worth and Edelgard's trust, none dared to harass the Brigid Princess as the Black Eagles made sure that those who would dare will suffer the consequences such as when Caspar knocked the teeth out of someone who had the audacity to call Petra something derogative, only for the Bergliez noble to punch him across the face to the point that Linhardt and Dorothea held him back.
Caspar earned a week's worth of detention as a disciplinary action for what he did but the one he beat up would probably be limited on what he could eat for quite a time.
Lysithea though, was still reeling from being labeled as a turncoat from some of her less than pleasant classmates. While Claude and the others were understanding of her decision, the others weren't.
The consequences of Lysithea's move wasn't just limited to the minor fools that were in the Golden Deer, some students of the Blue Lions also started whispering behind her back for her reasons of transferring. One time, Annette told her classmates to silence themselves when they started whispering in Lysithea's presence in the reception hall, calling them rude for what they are doing.
Lysithea briefly thanked Annette before leaving, wanting to be left alone to think of various persons of interest that could be related to the disappearances. While she wants to focus more on her studies and improve, which was one of her reasons to transfer in the first place for a better learning environment. She couldn't help but feel obligated to aid the professor for the disappearance of Flayn and the others.
Also, the earlier they fixed this problem, the earlier the academy can revert back to its usual tempo so she and the students can focus back on their studies.
"Reflecting on it now, Flayn has always seemed a rather odd person." Lysithea said, pondering with her own thoughts along the hallways of the second floor of the main building near the library.
"I can see why you think so."
Lysithea tilted her head up to see Byleth in front of her, no doubt doing his own investigation on the mission.
"Oh professor, just thinking out loud." Lysithea said to which Byleth nodded.
"Regarding Flayn… What are your impressions of her so far if you have interacted with her?" Byleth asked her with a degree of curiosity.
Lysithea briefly went to her thoughts, constructing her image of Flayn in order to relay it out as concisely as she could for the professor.
"She appears young, yet there's something about her that seems much older than her years suggest." Lysithea began and briefly recalled their last major interaction which was when she yelled at her for trying to have Lysithea attend mass many months ago.
"And she's quite wise, but also surprisingly naive…" Lysithea finished.
"She does speak so…" Byleth trailed off, trying to think of the proper word to describe Flayn's manner of speech.
"Archaic?" Lysithea guessed the word her professor was looking for.
Byleth simply nodded at Lysithea's suggestion.
"Judging from what I've observed, she seems to have lived a very sheltered life." Byleth suggested, recalling the many bouts of overprotectiveness Seteth has displayed towards his sister.
Lysithea nodded in affirmation to the professor's suggestion.
"Hmm, you may be right. Whatever the case, Seteth seems to care for her more than anything."
Byleth nodded before changing the topic. "Heading into the library?"
Lysithea shook her head to his assumption. "No, I just returned some books and got some new ones along the process." Lysithea said, looking down on the various books she had pressed on her chest.
The professor gave her a nod of approval. "You seem keen on doing some self-studying." He said with a slightly impressed look.
"Oh you should know that about me by now, professor." Lysithea confidently said with a smirk before she began to take her leave. "Anyhow, there's something I have to look up to, lots of studying to do!"
She then left Byleth as the latter stood at the entrance to the library. Byleth couldn't help but chuckle on how thoroughly dedicated Lysithea is when she sets her mind on something, her determination is one of the reasons why he felt drawn to her in the first place.
Going inside the library to look up on possible information related on mysterious disappearances in the past few years, Byleth resolved to fix such an issue plaguing the monastery yet again. His suspicion regarding Manuela and Jeritza… he hoped that he could be mistaken for such a hunch. Especially with the latter, Byleth could sense something… off about him yet when he couldn't make a concrete claim against him besides relaying his suspicion towards Catherine earlier, telling Rhea's most loyal knight about Jeritza's purported activities at night.
He had taken to questioning Shamir and her whereabouts in the days before her time with the Knights of Seiros but despite Shamir's nonexistent belief in the church and its teachings, Byleth could tell she had no part in the disappearances.
The suspicions towards certain individuals like those of foreign descent had come to his attention as well. He had heard from Claude that Lysithea protected Cyril from a series of harassment he received due to being an Almyran and that Lysithea too was accused and insulted of many things due to her transfer, something that he felt a degree of anger but mostly guilt. Guilt because he felt responsible for inviting her to the Black Eagles in the first place.
Then, he was obligated to punish Caspar with a series of detention after he was embroiled in a serious fight that led to the injuring of one student. While Byleth was aware that his very excitable and reckless student was prone to getting into fights, he had come to find that Caspar merely gets embroiled in such situations due to wanting to stop ongoing arguments only for him to end up participating in one.
But this time was different, he attacked first after students from the other houses began to hurl accusations towards Petra while she was conducting her own business with her classmates, namely Caspar, Dorothea and Linhardt. It came to Byleth's attention that they resorted to calling the Brigid Princess slurs and insulted her father's memory prompting Caspar to severely beat the offending party with a series of beating that led to a broken jaw and missing teeth.
Byleth, despite thinking that Caspar was in the right to protect his classmate, was obligated by Seteth to mete out punishment for him which resulted in a week long detention. A punishment that Caspar proudly accepted as he was glad to pay the price for protecting a friend, as he said.
Shaking his head at the turn of events lately, Byleth could only find some silver lining for this month in the form of Lysithea's transfer to his house.
"My my… you always do seem to have that young girl in your mind lately like a light source in your more stressful times." Sothis spoke within his mind, her body floating behind him, unable to be seen by anyone beside him.
Byleth remained silent as he went inside the library to see only a few inhabitants namely Linhardt, Annette, Ashe and Tomas. The latter despite his demeanor, Byleth found suspicious as if he was hiding something that he couldn't pinpoint.
"You feel that sense of unease around him as well? Huh, I thought I was the only one." Sothis said as she followed Byleth looked on the spines of different books on the shelves, trying to look for a record of kidnappings and the like over the past few years.
As he looked for the appropriate book, his mind wandered onto Lysithea again.
"Thinking about that girl again? If I had known any better, you're actually playing favorites by now."
Byleth shook his head, what was on his mind regarding Lysithea was something she offhandedly mentioned regarding Flayn.
"She appears young, yet there's something about her that seems much older than her years suggest…" Byleth repeated what Lysithea told him, his thoughts drifted on Seteth as well. The amount of concern and love he has for his sister seems… a bit more than what a sibling should have but he could be mistaken nor misunderstood such a thing because of his lack of experience with having a sibling to interact with.
"You must be thinking of the fact that Seteth treats her more like his own flesh and blood rather than his sister."
Byleth nodded, that sense of feeling, that feeling of protectiveness… the feeling of being protected... he had felt such a thing before during his earlier days before he became known as the Ashen Demon, during his days when he has yet to pick up a sword. He knew Jeralt was like that yet why can he only remember little of such events in his life?
Since when did he become so forgetful?
"Even peering into your memories, I could only see glimpses of your past… it was as if your memories are fragmented by something that even I couldn't explain."
Byleth sighed, refraining from thinking of a thought that would end up insulting the mysterious spirit living inside him.
"You just thought that with all the power I have to control time to some degree, I couldn't do anything as miniscule as rebuilding some fragmented memories… is that right?"
Byleth remained silent and just looked for the book he was looking for and when he did locate it, he abruptly dropped it after hitting his head on the shelf due to Sothis' sudden yelling at his mind, no doubt offending the little girl in his head for thinking of such things.
"Oh my goodness! Are you alright professor?" Annette called out of concern towards Byleth after he caught everyone's attention when he hit his head on the shelf and the ensuing books fell on him as a result.
As Lysithea went on her way back to her room along the corridors of the main building, her mind raced towards the recent happenings in the monastery ever since she and her batchmates had enrolled.
The bandits' attack on the three house leaders, Lonato's rebellion, the incident on the Holy Mausoleum with the Death Knight, the revelation of Professor Byleth's Crest and his subsequent possession of the Sword of the Creator, the incident in Conand Tower and now this…
She felt that most of these events seemed to be related, while some can be dispensed off any suspicion, she had a lingering and growing hunch on the possibility of such a thing being correlated. The rumors of this... Deathly Reaper prowling at night in Garreg Mach could just be mere rumors or a sick joke started by someone to gain some kind of equally sick amusement from the reactions it would garner.
But what if it wasn't? If this reaper they spoke of isn't a ghostly apparition haunting the monastery, which Lysithea highly hopes wasn't the case, then there's only such an individual that may or may not fit the description of such a being.
Lysithea shuddered at the thought of the Death Knight again, up until now the investigations of the knights regarding the enigmatic figure have all been inconclusive. Even the professor was curious to know if he had been sighted, no doubt holding some form of grudge against the figure that almost killed him.
The snow haired girl sighed, pausing on her steps after she turned to the next corner on her way out of the main building. The professor and Edelgard have been informed by the others regarding the rumors but with little evidence so far, they couldn't trust it as viable information to conduct some investigation of their own at night without risk of getting caught breaking curfew especially with much stricter security.
Lysithea's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when someone from behind bumped onto her after they turned to the same corner as her.
"Kyaah!" Lysithea screeched when she nearly fell face first on stone ground, it was only thanks to her letting go of the books she was hugging on her chest and using her hands did she prevent getting injured on her face.
Whoever bumped into her felt like someone of high and heavy stature considering how she was effortlessly thrown on the ground or perhaps… she was just too small?
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Lysithea growled, infuriated at the person behind her, standing up and looking behind her to get a better look at the person responsible for her earlier predicament.
Lysithea's pinkish red eyes widened at the sight of a grizzled light brown hair with a full beard around his chin but what was most notable were the few scars on his face, indicating that the man had experienced and survived many battles.
"Oh sorry about that young miss." The man apologized.
"Captain Jeralt?"
Jeralt raised an eyebrow not from Lysithea knowing his name but when he finally caught sight of her pinkish red eyes as well as her white hair that reminded him of winter snow.
"White hair and those eyes… Aren't you that brat who transferred? The one he keeps talking about…?" Jeralt asked without a care for his choice of words.
Lysithea's surprised reaction immediately shifted to an indignant glare to the legendary Blade Breaker.
"Excuse me?!" Lysithea yelled at how Jeralt addressed her, triggering her to one of the very things that she hates most.
Jeralt seemed unperturbed by her rise of temper and instead had a look of curiosity upon him.
"How old are you?" Jeralt asked.
Lysithea's glare hardened towards Jeralt, her red eyes glaring at Jeralt's brown eyes yet he remained unfazed most likely owing to his many years as an experienced mercenary
"Fifteen! But that doesn't mean you can treat me or call me like a child! I don't care if you are the professor's father or a captain of the knights!" Lysithea shouted, her voice rising higher.
Instead of getting annoyed by the young girl shouting at him without restraint, Jeralt looked…. Amused in which Lysithea was in no way glad to see when he saw the small smile forming at the edges of Jeralt's lips.
"Heh... it seems he was right about your strong personality... still... you were the same age as her when I met her."
Jeralt's cryptic responses and mentions of people in the third person did nothing alleviate the annoyance Lysithea felt for Jeralt.
"I don't even have any idea what you're talking about!"
Jeralt had the audacity to let out a small laugh at Lysithea's expense.
"Sorry, I was just thinking when I first met my wife."
"H-Huh?" Lysithea was taken aback by the sudden mention of Jeralt's spouse, the professor's mother and Jeralt's tone suddenly changed upon mentioning her.
"I'm not sure I follow—"
"Don't mind an old man's rambling, young miss." Jeralt said with a small smile. "My son had also been talking about you ever since that incident in the Holy Mausoleum. Seems like you left quite the impression."
With that, Jeralt walked past her, leaving the Ordelia heiress puzzled by her rare encounter with the professor's father. Her eyes never left the back of the old man, seeing him interact with Alois on his way. His mention of his wife… that melancholic face and voice… It sounded like a person who was longing for something he can never again get in his lifetime.
It felt like… her who could never get her many years back that were stolen from her. She couldn't help but feel saddened.
It seems the rumors of the so-called Deathly Reaper weren't all unfounded. The Black Eagles had mostly concluded that Jeritza had some considering the disappearances as he too had suddenly disappeared without an explanation except for his mask.
This led to them attempting to investigate Jeritza's room only to be shocked by the sight of Manuela bleeding out on the floor of Jeritza's room with a hidden passageway behind the bookcase.
Lysithea remembered how her old house professor, Hanneman went to investigate the commotion right after they had found Manuela leading to Edelgard to volunteer assisting the elderly professor in bringing Manuela to the infirmary.
While contacting and awaiting the knights was a more prudent decision back then, Hubert insisted that they go on ahead to investigate the hidden passageway. Much to Lysithea's chagrin, Byleth agreed and told everyone to immediately arm up to check what Manuela was on regarding Jeritza.
It didn't take long for them to discover that the hidden passageway had led them to the missing person the monastery had been looking for almost a month. Flayn laid unconscious from a distance and just when they could mount a rescue…
A daunting figure that had nearly cost the lives of the professor and some students arrived to confront them.
The Death Knight stood before the professor again, showing interest at the prospect of facing the professor not because of the past encounter but due to his desire to fight the wielder of the Sword of the Creator.
While Lysithea quickly went to Byleth's side to assist him in fighting the Death Knight once again, the ghastly knight acknowledged her as the person who had bested him in the previous encounter and with a simple command, people under his command appeared behind him. Soldiers wearing garbs of red and black, each looking experienced and battle hardened but what bothered Lysithea the most were the mysterious number of mages accompanying the small army the Death Knight commands.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the eerie black masks that resembled those of a crow's head, her heart stopped for a brief moment that after all these years… these mysterious mages in black had reappeared in her life.
She felt rage. An unprecedented level of it as she remembered the various horrors she had witnessed them do unto her siblings… her cousins and even the young servants. Her anger peaked at the memory of how she begged them to stop only to be met by cold indifference beneath their masks and sometimes, a beating for her to shut up.
Yet despite all the anger and hatred she felt in every fibre of her being, she knew charging blindly would be folly.
Perhaps her display of anger was quite evident to the point that Byleth placed his left hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Unknown to her but seen by her classmates and professor, she had been radiating an aura of dark magic around her. Leaking the volatile magic's energy around her as if resonating with her emotions.
Lysithea had a mind to use her Dark Spikes towards the Death Knight but the presence of the mages supplementing his small army would no doubt counteract it with their own.
Caspar was raring to go and fight the Death Knight out of thirst for revenge for swiftly defeating him but Ferdinand and Linhardt prevented him doing so, Byleth ordered them to listen carefully to his plans while reminding them on how the stakes were higher this time than the previous encounter.
Drawing the Sword of the Creator from the left side of his waist, Byleth pointed it towards the Death Knight who wielded his scythe radiating with foul magic, beckoning the professor to come to him.
Chaos ensued that moment as the Black Eagles clashed against the Death Knight's army. Though they held their own, the class struggled due to their experienced opponents but with the professor's strategy, they managed to overcome some of them but not without sustaining injuries of their own.
Lysithea herself struggled with Dorothea, Hubert and Linhardt against the mysterious mages. The masked individuals never spoke but their own brand of dark magic was a match against her, she couldn't land a single one of her spells without them being offset by them.
Her frustrations building up as well as a glimpse of the Death Knight and the professor locked in a deadly one-on-one duel within a chamber made her desperate. While the professor had dispatched everyone who was on his way towards the Death Knight, the remaining ones who were spared the bitter fate of death from the divine blade the professor held were still enough to prevent the Black Eagles from properly assisting him.
Lysithea's emotions raged at who she was fighting and their current situation, the memories of the masked mages performing the various atrocities they had committed to House Ordelia, how they defiled the flesh of the children including hers, the screams of horror and the sight of their corpses hollowly staring at her as she was experimented… The constant nightmares she had began to experience remembering such events and now, the fact that they were allied to this Death Knight to kidnap people most probably to perform their sick experiments were more than enough.
More than enough for her Crest to manifest and empower the arcane energy flowing within her veins, in no time her spells became far more deadlier than before since the start of the battle, her magic steadily overwhelming the masked mages' spells until they were driven to the corner when Dorothea, Linhardt and Hubert joined in with a unified assault.
Concurrently, the professor was having his rematch against the macabre knight who had almost killed him in the past as well as severely injured two of his students. While Byleth wasn't the man to bear a deep grudge, the memories of failing to prevent his students from being seriously harmed as well as his inadequacy to protect them fueled his resentment towards the Death Knight.
Byleth never realized it until recently that he had grown to genuinely care for the wellbeing of his students. At first, he had only taken his job seriously because he was obligated to but the more he had spent time with the Black Eagles as well as others outside of the house he directly teaches, the more he had grown attached to them. He made the silent vow to himself that he will do what his duty and personal feelings demand of him to protect them and safeguard their respective paths to the future.
Parrying each other's blows once more after exchanging a flurry of attacks, Byleth and the Death Knight circled each other, both with their respective stances with their weapons.
"I see. That sword has truly given you the power to stand evenly against me."
Byleth scoffed at the Death Knight's notion that the Sword of the Creator was the main contributing factor on why he is standing on even ground against him. For Byleth, his previous and harrowing experience against him was the motivation he needed to train more extensively. Often training privately late at night in the training grounds. The guilt and anger Byleth rarely felt motivated him to train better so that such an incident like the Holy Mausoleum and Conand Tower will not happen again.
While the divine sword he held gives him much power, it is merely just an instrument as the skill of the user was still paramount.
Without a word, Byleth charged towards the Death Knight who reciprocated by commanding his armored steed to charge as well. As they drew closer, Byleth leaped and slashed his sword down for the Death Knight. The macabre knight anticipated the attack and blocked with his scythe, using his raw inhuman strength to deflect the professor away towards the air.
Though, this was the professor's plan all along and while he was launched to the air and the Death Knight awaited his descent to reap his head off, Byleth's sword changed into its alternate form that made it unique, the blade disassembled into its whip form that took the Death Knight by surprise when he was forcibly dismounted upon receiving a mighty lash across his armor.
Grunting from the bleeding wound on his chest after the whip cut through the dark armor, the Death Knight was again lashed by another blow from Byleth's sword whip upon landing down.
Using the Sword of the Creator's full extent, the professor did not stop with not one but three more lashes against the Death Knight. With a loud cry, the professor spun around to deliver one final lash towards the Death Knight that sent the imposing figure rolling on the ground with so much blood flowing from the dented and cut metal of his armor.
"Ughh… uhhh…." The Death Knight growled in pain as he struggled to stand up, feebly doing so as he used his scythe like a stick to keep him from falling on the ground.
Byleth retracted his weapon back to its sword form and slowly approached the defeated and bloodied knight with his sword pointed at him.
"I have… been… bested." The Death Knight admitted, the red eyes beneath his eerie helmet glowing brightly and menacingly towards the professor.
"Surrender." Byleth coldly ordered him as his students had managed to rally behind him after the Death Knight's army were either defeated or retreated after seeing him fall.
The Death Knight managed to stifle a small terrifying chuckle despite the fact that the professor could instantly end his life at any moment.
"I do not… surrender." The Death Knight answered before finally albeit groggily standing up. "I… will… fight."
Byleth's glare hardened. "So be it." He assumed a stance which was followed by the Black Eagles' and was in the process of charging in to end the macabre knight's life only to be briefly blinded by a purple light.
When Byleth and his students blinked, they saw another imposing figure wearing an unusual set of armor standing beside the Death Knight, armed with an axe and heavy shield.
"Halt. You're having a bit too much fun." The newly arrived figure's voice echoed within his mask as Byleth and the Black Eagles paused and warily eyed the mysterious newcomer.
"You are… getting… in the way… of my… game…" The Death Knight grunted with labored breathing as more blood flowed from his wounds.
The other masked individual scoffed at him after seeing the Death Knight's rather shaky motions.
"You'll have more opportunities to play soon. Your work here is done."
"Understood… I will go." And with those words, the Death Knight disappeared in the same flash of light that the other masked man arrived in.
Byleth's grip on his sword tightened when he witnessed the Death Knight escaping, he then glared at the one responsible for letting him escape.
The masked man's eerie yellow eyes beneath his mask flashed towards Byleth.
"We will cross paths again. I am the Flame Emperor… It is I who will reforge the world."
Byleth changed the Sword of the Creator into its whip form once more and plunged it forward to stab the Flame Emperor with it only for the latter to disappear in the same he had arrived from.
Impaling the stone wall instead, Byleth retracted the sword back into its normal form and sheathed it back to his waist yet his eyes never left the spot where the Death Knight and this Flame Emperor once stood.
"Flame Emperor?" Linhardt repeated the mysterious being's name with a rare worried look. "Rather worrisome that he sounds intent on showing up again."
Caspar and Petra arrived, bringing with them the unconscious bodies of Flayn and another student with red hair that they couldn't recognize.
"Are they both okay?" Ferdinand asked his two classmates, letting go of his damaged lance in order to carry the red haired girl that Petra was carrying.
"They seem fine… I guess?" Caspar said with uncertainty as Flayn slept on his back.
Ferdinand nodded. "We should get them out of here."
For once, Hubert agreed with Ferdinand's suggestion. "The enemy has withdrawn, let's carry them up."
"Hold up, let me see if they have any injuries." Linhardt said as Dorothea helped Bernadetta to walk after she sprained her foot from narrowly dodging an attack.
As the Black Eagles departed to return to the surface, Byleth didn't move and stood still. His azure eyes glued to where his adversary was earlier.
"Professor?" Lysithea called out of concern, tugging on the empty sleeves of his coat.
Byleth remained silent as if in deep thought on what had just happened.
"I guessed your assumption of the Death Knight being the ringleader of all of this is untrue."
Byleth agreed to Sothis' statement, for so long after their initial counter, he along with Sothis speculated on who the Death Knight is, what was his goal and if he was the one leading these incidents ever since the school year began.
To think they were wrong that the Death Knight was the one behind all of it and another apparently more imposing figure that the Death Knight answers to has appeared. In light of this new information, Byleth knew it could only mean one thing: Garreg Mach and its students will probably not experience a normal school life.
Their lives, his students' lives would be in constant danger if the Church would send them on these missions. The likeliness of encountering them again has further increased thanks to the proclamation of this Flame Emperor.
"Professor?"
Byleth returned to reality and looked at Lysithea, seeing a concerned pair of pinkish red eyes looking at him, her hands holding the empty sleeve of the coat on his back.
"I'm fine. Let's go." Byleth assured her and started walking ahead of her.
Only for him to pause when he heard Lysithea fall flat on the stone floor, his eyes widened in horror as a result.
"They're pale, and their pulses are slow…" Linhardt remarked as he watched Flayn and the unknown girl being carried away by Ferdinand and Caspar. "Still, I don't believe their lives are in danger."
Just then, the door to Manuela's room opened to reveal Shamir and Edelgard being accompanied by Cyril and a group of knights.
"You found Flayn? Where?!" Edelgard asked as she saw her classmates dirtied by the grime of battle and drenched with sweat.
Their eyes widened upon seeing the unconscious Flayn and the girl she was with.
"You two, carry those two to the infirmary." Shamir ordered two of the knights she was with before looking at the Black Eagles, trying to spot a certain person. The knights then gently took the unconscious girls that Caspar and Ferdinand were carrying before heading towards the infirmary to be treated by one of the school nurses in Manuela's absence.
"Where's Professor Byleth?" Shamir asked, Edelgard also had the same question on her face. The Black Eagles looked at each other, all of them could have sworn their professor was only behind them when they left the hidden passage.
Dorothea looked worried not just for the professor but also the absence of one other member.
"I can't see Lysie too."
"Lysie?" Shamir asked with a raised eyebrow. Even the other members of the Black Eagles gave her a questioning look.
"Oh, it's just a nickname I thought for Lysithea." Dorothea replied.
Before any of them could speak, Byleth emerged from the entrance to the hidden passage, carrying an unconscious Lysithea in her arms. A sight that sent waves of concern from the others.
Edelgard was the first to approach the professor, checking on Lysithea and looked relieved when she checked that she was still breathing.
"Thank goodness, she's fine."
"What happened to her, professor?" Shamir asked as Cyril looked on with worry from her side, his eyes fixated on the Ordelia heiress.
"Over exhaustion." Byleth said and looked down at Lysithea, her head snuggled on to his chest as he carried her.
Linhardt sighed. "Considering she manifested her Crest and went crazy against those mages earlier… I'm not surprised she's exhausted." He pointed out, remembering the battle earlier.
Edelgard blinked. "Lysithea… has a Crest?" She asked, surprised at the revelation as well as those who did not witness her display of the Crest she successfully manifested.
"Discuss that later, I'm bringing her to the infirmary." Byleth said, moving past his students, Shamir, Cyril and the knights as he made his way towards his query while carrying Lysithea in his arms.
Wyvern Moon of the Imperial Year 1180
At the gazebo in one of the courtyards, Edelgard took a sip of her bergamot tea as she read the contents of the book she was reading, it was a book regarding the politics of the various rulers of Fodlan ranging from the likes of Adrestian Emperors, Faerghus Kings and the Leicester Grand Duke.
It's been weeks since Flayn has been rescued from her predicament, while no harm was done to her and she seemed fine, there were evidences of punctures in her wrist which led credence to the theory that her blood has been taken by her captors.
Edelgard shook her head, not wanting to remember the headache that is that particular incident. She wordlessly took a sweet crumbly biscuit from the dessert stand and ate it in one bite as she read her book.
She wanted to eat another piece of the biscuit but ended up being in contact with the hand of someone else who took the piece she was intending to get.
"Oh sorry." Edelgard apologized as she looked at Lysithea who also ate the biscuit in one bite as she wrote on her notebook on various theories of magic, looking intensely focused on her activity.
Such a sight has become increasingly common regarding the house leader and the transferee, often due to their shared love for sweets and tea to go along with it, they would randomly have tea with each other while studying and going on about their business. This is one such event where both are embroiled in their own studies.
Yet, as soon as Edelgard's lavender eyes looked at Lysithea, she couldn't help but feel curious over something. She had wanted to ask the Ordelia heiress for something yet didn't have much opportunities to do so, that and she sometimes forgets.
"What is it Edelgard?" Lysithea asked, feeling Edelgard's eyes on her as her own eyes looked back and forth at the book she was copying from and the notebook she was writing in with her quill.
"Lysithea, we're friends right?"
"We wouldn't be sitting here and having tea if we weren't." Lysithea answered bluntly.
"Mind if you answer something? I wanted to ask about this for quite some time and you seem like the closest one who could give me a well rounded answer." Edelgard said, closing the book she was reading and watched Lysithea sighed, return her quill to the inkwell and set aside her book and notebook.
"What is it?" Lysithea asked, looking like she wanted to get this over with so she can return to her notes, things have been quite normal lately for her except for the new training routine that the professor had subjected her to.
Stamina and endurance training, he had ordered her to take on these assignments in order to fix one of her more obvious flaws which is her weak stamina, noting that everytime she exerts herself, she would often lose consciousness with the second encounter against the Death Knight being the recent example.
Lysithea found herself flushed red when she woke up in the infirmary and found out from Edelgard that the professor carried her to the infirmary after she passed out.
"I've been meaning to ask, what is the main difference of black magic and dark magic?" Edelgard asked, Lysithea was surprised at the unexpected question. She had been expecting a question of personal nature or even that of politics but for Edelgard to take an interest in magic?
"What brought this on?" Lysithea asked out of curiosity.
"Curiosity. While I can ask Hubert about it, you seem more suited for such explanations considering your deeper understanding of it. I had observed from Dorothea and Linhardt during their training that they use magic of elemental nature yet when it's your turn during our training periods, you and Hubert's magic have a different vibe to it…"
Lysithea nodded, briefly remembering the extra training sessions she and her classmates were obligated to take part of by the professor in order to ready and condition them for one of the biggest events in their time in the academy: The Battle of the Eagle and Lion. An annual battle between all three houses that acts as a proving ground on what the students have learned under the guidance of their professor as well as their own efforts.
That and coupled with the extra training regimen that Byleth had subjected her to had led to Lysithea being incredibly busy and while she enjoyed the prospect of being challenged by her professor's demands, she would be lying if she said it wasn't beginning to tax her.
"Hmm… where to begin…" Lysithea pondered. "You are aware of the two subcategories of Reason magic right?"
"Black and dark."
"Correct." Lysithea said. "The difference is that black magic draws power from the arcane energy flowing in your veins to cast offensive spells mostly in the form of elemental magic."
"And dark magic?"
Lysithea took a sip of her honeyed fruit tea first before continuing. "Black magic works similarly but… with something else."
"Like what?"
"Dark magic is often used for offensive purposes but most of the time, the spells from dark magic are often more potent than black magic but more risky." Lysithea added grimly. "Hence, why not a lot of aspiring mages wants to practice it."
"What are the risks then?"
Lysithea took a breath before answering. "The risk is that dark magic harnesses the negative emotions its user has."
Edelgard's eyes widened. "When you mean negative emotions-"
"Anger, resentment and sometimes a desire to hurt someone." Lysithea confirmed. "To use dark magic is to draw in the darkness into yourself… channel it… and make it into a weapon. The greater your hate, the greater the darkness and the greater your spell is." Lysithea explained.
"The reason why it's not a type of magic to be just taken lightly is if you allowed your negative emotions… the darkness to take over you, it would end up hurting you mentally more than physically." Lysithea said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"I didn't know the penalty for using such magic is… steep." Edelgard commented before realizing something. "Lysithea, does that mean you-"
"I'm a very bitter person. I guess Hubert is as well." Lysithea half-jokingly said to dispel the gloomy atmosphere but Edelgard wasn't convinced. The sullen look on Lysithea's eyes looked like she remembered something she didn't want to.
"Lysithea… Is something bothering you?" Edelgard asked out of concern for her friend. "If so, you can share it with me if it would make you feel better…"
The snow haired girl shook her head. "Apologies, I don't want to burden you with my personal history. It's something I'd rather forget." Lysithea said, as she remembered the moment when she fought those masked mages when rescuing Flayn, while she remained in control most of the time, the emotions she felt that moment and the desire to hurt the group of people responsible for her suffering had nearly overwhelmed her. Maybe the mental strain combined with the physical strain took its toll on her which led to her fainting. She could never forget the emotions she felt that day, the hatred and anger she felt reaching levels beyond what she could imagine.
The ashen haired girl's concern further increased yet she knew the risk of pushing such an inquiry would no doubt stoke Lysithea's short temper ablaze, she didn't want to stress her out considering they have a scheduled tactics meeting with their classmates and Professor Byleth soon.
Lysithea decided to take another sip from her tea and eat a chocolate chip cookie from the dessert stand to at least serve as a stress relief.
"Oh! There you are!"
The two girls looked at the source of the voice to see their newest transferee to the Black Eagles, one of the two new classmates they have to be specific.
"What is it, Flayn?" Edelgard asked after Flayn approached their table.
"The professor had requested that I come fetch both of you for the meeting." Flayn said with a smile but then noticed something odd. "Am I trespassing on something delicate?" She asked, looking at both Lysithea and Edelgard.
Lysithea shook her head. "Nothing, we were just discussing something regarding magic." Lysithea said before fixing her belongings, compiling her book and notebook together and closing her inkwell and cleaning her quill with a white cloth.
"Where's the meeting going to be held?" Lysithea asked.
"The classroom as usual."
Lysithea gave Flayn and Edelgard a nod of thanks before she took her leave, not aware that the two watched her leave with a worried look.
"Did I do something to offend her?" Flayn asked out of concern.
Edelgard shook her head. "I think I just reopened some old wounds." She answered which only served to confuse Flayn even more at what she interrupted.
By the time she was on her way to her classroom, Lysithea felt guilty for ruining the otherwise okay atmosphere between her and Edelgard.
She just didn't expect that she would feel emotionally charged by Edelgard's question regarding dark magic and its fundamentals. She couldn't help but remember those bitter memories that continued to haunt her day and night when she is reminded of it mostly unintentionally.
Edelgard's innocent question regarding dark magic and Lysithea answering that it's magic that is also fueled by negative emotions, Lysithea knew this when she was choosing on what to specialize before her enrollment in Garreg Mach. Yet she chose it all the same because she believed that the trauma she felt and bitterness that came with it would serve her better if she learned to master it.
She wasn't prepared on the gravity of the consequences of using such magic because it would mean to constantly tap into the memories of the darkest part of her life in order to make her spells more potent.
Lysithea shook her head, she needed to clear her mind in order to listen in to what Professor Byleth would say as well as think of suggestions that may work to their advantage.
It is then that she noticed a certain boy raking in the browned autumn leaves and piling them together before promptly starting a fire to burn them.
"Careful now, you might burn an entire city if you aren't careful." Lysithea said with mirth in an attempt to make herself at least smile in the company of another friend.
Cyril lightly jerked up at the sudden voice behind him, looking behind him to see Lysithea approaching him.
"Oh Lysithea, nah don't worry. I'm being extra careful burning 'em. With all these leaves falling out from the trees and being carried away by the wind, I was ordered to pile them up and burn them so they won't litter the monastery." Cyril said while looking at the growing fire in the pile of leaves.
A chilly breeze then swept past them leading to the growing fire to be put out much to Cyril's irritation.
"Agh, now I need to start it again." Cyril grumbled and started to use the rocks he used to start the fire.
Lysithea smiled. "Stand back Cyril, I'll start it."
Cyril gave her a look. "No offense Lysithea but since when did ya know-"
"Trust me." Lysithea assured him, Cyril gave her a doubtful look before standing back up and distancing himself from the pile of leaves.
With a single thrust from her right hand, a small ember caused the pile of leaves to start burning brightly.
"Wow, I should have figured a mage like yerself could do it so easily." Cyril said, impressed.
"Of course, making fire is the most basic spell a mage should learn." Lysithea said, beaming with pride.
Cyril smiled at her before raking in more leaves he had gathered to add to the fire.
"Well, it seems you have more leaves to burn… I need to meet up with the professor now so if you don't mind-"
"H-Hey, wait." Cyril called out, grabbing Lysithea by the arm just as she was about to leave. He then let go of it when he realized what he did. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine, what is it?"
Cyril looked down at first, as if thinking of what to say then his face flushed red for a bit before looking up to face Lysithea.
"You've been helping me out for quite a while especially on the shopping lists and I am thankful for your assistance…" Cyril began, Lysithea nodded and gestured to him to continue.
"I was meaning if… ya could teach me to read? So I won't hassle ya for anymore shopping list stuff to read." Cyril said with clear embarrassment as his cheeks blushed red. "I-It would mean a lot to me if ya could teach me… as a present."
Lysithea's eyes slightly widened. "When is your birthday?"
"The 25th of the Wyvern Moon." Cyril replied. "I would understand if ya didn't want to considering the Battle of the Eagle and Lion-"
"I would be glad to." Lysithea interrupted him, Cyril looked up to see Lysithea smiling at him.
"You will?"
Lysithea nodded. "Well, you have been helpful with me on other matters… it's the least I could do. Besides, I think it would also help you in the long run if you were to become literate."
Cyril couldn't help but feel overjoyed at Lysithea's answer. "Thank you Lysithea! When do you think we can start?"
"I'll get back on you for that but probably after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion." Lysithea smiled before taking her leave. "I have to go now, Cyril. Bye!"
Cyril nodded and waved her goodbye before returning to his duty of burning the autumn leaves.
"She looked real happy when she was helping me." Cyril said as his thoughts drifted into Lysithea's smiles that he had found to be refreshing to see, it felt so genuine but rare for the Ordelia heiress to flash her smiles to anyone and he felt lucky to see such things.
"And I think I'd like to see that smile again sometime." He wished as he smiled.
"Deleted" Scene:
"You could teach me a thing or two on being paranoid, you know." Hubert said as he and Ordelian hid behind the bushes (again) as they watched Lysithea interact with Cyril on her way to the classroom.
"Meow meow meow (I told you, that Almyran boy is bad news to my master)!"
Hubert sighed at the cat that he had been assigned to work with by Edelgard, unable to believe that the feline would actually surpass him in being an overbearing loyal servant to his master.
Just as Hubert was thinking this was a waste of time and that he too must go to attend the meeting with his classmates, Ordelian suddenly screamed making Hubert jump up in surprise.
"REEEEEOOOWWW (THAT BASTARD)!" Ordelian screamed and was about to charge in when Hubert held Ordelian back in order to make sure he didn't do anything foolish, until he saw the object of Ordelian's anger.
Cyril had just held Lysithea's arm and the act caused Ordelian to lose all his temper at the audacity of the Almyran boy in touching his master.
"REEEOOOWW MEEEOWWW REEEOWWWW (Let me go Hubert! I'll eviscerate him to pieces and feed him to the fishes to fatten them up! Nobody touches my master like that! Especially him)!"
And there it goes, I will be writing the next chapter of Last Scion concurrently with the next chapter of The Bubbly and the Surly after a few days depending on my mood but I hope you like this chapter!
It feels fille-ish but I figured I should set up some interactions and plot points for future chapters. I won't be detailing the Battle of the Eagle and Lion next chapter nor will I write a long recap regarding it, next chapter will be focus more on character interactions!
As usual, faves and reviews are very much appreciated! Thank you!